Kamen Rider VanDreadO
by kyugan
Summary: Hibiki Tokai always wondered how he'd prove his existence to the world. Join him now, as he races to save his world, and the entire universe, from the ultimate Climax! Hibiki-Harem.
1. Chapter 1

As a response to positive reviews, this latest brainchild has survived to see the light of day!

Momo: YOSHA! I'm gonna show you all a real climax!

Kyugan: As always, this fic is dedicated to my good buddy Sketchfan, and also, to brave kid.

Momo: Who're they? Small timer's I'll bet...

Kyugan: Shut your hole, momohiji...

Momo: QUIT CALLING ME BUTTHUGGER! *Shoves Kyugan out of his seat and grins at camera *Yosh! Let's get this started! Ikuze!

* * *

Chapter 1: Hibiki, Sanjou!

Within a distant, mostly unexplored section of space, there exists two worlds which could not have been more different from one another, save for their unbridled hatred and ignorance of one another's respective cultures.

One, known as Mejele, was a planet comprised entirely of women. They had vast resources, advanced technology, and had achieved a level of civilization that would have made them the envy of any other.

The other planet, known to it's residents as Tarak, was comprised entirely of men, and unlike Mejele, which was rich in natural resources, was a barren, desolate world with hardly water on it's arid surface, though it was rich in metal deposits. In addition, in comparison to the technologically advanced society of Mejele, the men of Tarak were drastically underdeveloped. They could barely amass the resources to construct spacecraft, and even those they managed to develop were considerably clunkier and slower in comparison to the elegant, streamlined craft that Mejele boasted.

This was made ever so apparent when Mejele raiders would pick off the supply and exploratory vessels from Tarak, which were sent out to search for materials in space from the asteroid fields. The faster, more agile Mejele fighters could run rings around their Tarak opposites. Furthermore, unlike the men, the women of Mejele outfitted their craft with advanced weaponry, including lasers, whereas the men where limited to mere ballistic missiles and high caliber bullets.

Things had gotten so bad that the military leaders of Tarak soon realized that, unless they thought of something soon, Tarak would soon run out of resources, and they would be completely at the mercy of their hated foes.

And so, despite the initial concerns of their great leader, Grand Pa, a motion was passed to address this growing threat.

*******

_Tarak capital..._

"MY COMRADES!" the bald Prime Minister of Tarak declared, standing tall behind a podium as his speech was broadcast across Tarak, be it visually or by radio transmission "MY BROTHERS! We now go into battle to prove the glorious manhood of the empire of Tarak! Our great forefather Grand Pa guided us here, but we will now leave this holy land that we have cultivated with our own hands, in order to regain the pride of men!" he clenched his fist before the cameras "For today, we have a new power in our possession," he punched said fist into the air "which will change our very HISTORY!"

While the masses of Tarak roared in approval of the bald man's words, one figure, considerably smaller than most, was not so enraptured by the speech, and was making his way as quietly, and as quickly as possible towards the spaceport, a bag of tools at his side.

'Why'd I have'ta open my big mouth?' the figure, a short teen in the garb of a third class citizen muttered, sighing in exasperation as he ducked out of sight of a nearby patrol 'Boasting I could steal a Vanguard…real smooth Hibiki…'

It had all started out as a childish boast, something Hibiki had said on the fly while off duty at the Vanguard construction plant. As third class citizens, Hibiki and the others employed at the factory never even got to see the fruits of their labors in action. The completed machines were shipped out the moment they were assembled, and the actual assembly lines were automated, even if the parts were mainly made by hand.

Naturally, this could be rather frustrating for a growing young man, who'd come to the city from the outside in search of work, friends, and a better life. He'd found the work alright, Third Class Citizens did EVERY menial task under the sun, from manual labor to janitorial duties, and he'd even found a group which he could tentatively call friends, when they weren't making cracks about his size or his temper.

But life as a third class citizen was hardly BETTER than the life he'd led on Gramps' farm, back before the old man had sent him to the city. At least on the farm his work had been appreciated.

Now here he was, planning to slip onto the newly refitted ship, the Ikazuchi according to the Prime Minister, which was sure to be filled with Elite and First class pricks and military types, in order to steal one of the very machines he'd helped construct and bring it back for all to see.

"I should've just kept my big mouth shut…" the teen sighed, even as the derogatory words of his 'friends' echoed in his ears, his eyes hardening as his resolve strengthened "Too late for regrets now…idiot or not I'm still a man…and Hibiki the man always keeps his word!"

Resolve reaffirmed, the teen resumed his trek across the rooftops towards the shuttle port, unaware that he was being followed, not by security thankfully, but by a strange, glowing orb that had been drifting past, only to be drawn in by his words.

'_**Huh…This kid seems interesting…'**_ the ball muttered, circling the teen, Hibiki continuing on his way heedless of his strange tag-along _**'Little on the short side…but I suppose I could do worse…'**_

Thus said, it rushed forwards, Hibiki letting out a grunt as it ploughed into his back, cursing as sand suddenly fell from his clothes, covering his feet as he stumbled.

A horned figure rose out of the sand, it's body seemingly ending from the waist down, though for some reason, it's legs formed above it, sand particles sliding off them as Hibiki shook himself. "_**Tell me y**__**our greatest desire…"**_ the sand figure intoned, it's voice deep and impressive as it crossed it's arms before it dramatically _**"Tell me, and I shall grant it for-!"**_

"Stupid sand!" Hibiki cursed, hopping along on one foot, unknowingly plowing through the sand figure, causing it to erupt into a cloud of sand with an irate squawk, before turning on his heel and running "Shit! I've gotta move it!"

"_**HEY!"**_ the sand creature yelled reforming with an irate glare as it watched the young Tarak teen run off, before giving chase "_**Oi! Get back here and tell me your wish, CHIBI!"**_

*******

_Inside the Ikazuchi..._

"Aw man…" Hibiki gasped, leaning against one of the numerous, identical doors that littered the interior of the Ikazuchi "this ships a lot bigger than I thought it'd be…"

That was an understatement, the Ikazuchi, originally the ship used by Grand Pa and the original eight to colonize Tarak, had been completely refitted as a military Flagship. There were so many corridors, hallways and staircases that Hibiki was surprised he hadn't bumped into any security, but it seemed everyone was too wrapped up in listening to the Prime Minister's speech on remaining 'constantly vigilant' to notice.

The irony of the situation would've made Hibiki laugh if he wasn't so out of breath. His heart had been hammering ever since he'd first managed to sneak on board, slipping past a guard who'd just been blinded by a sudden flurry of sand.

'Kinda weird…' Hibiki muttered, as he rifled through his bag as he stood in front of a palm print scanner 'Could've sworn I heard someone swear back there…' Shrugging to himself he pulled out a plastic, see-through glove, used for handling raw materials, and a spray adhesive that would detect any residual fingerprint data and copy them onto the glove's surface 'Ah well…good thing I did my homework…' he muttered, placing his palm against the scanner.

"_**Teme…" **_a low, voice growled, the sand figure rounding the corner, glaring at the teen in annoyance, only to be ignored as the scanner's rejection sent Hibiki into a panic _**"I finally found you…"**_

The figure had a good reason to be annoyed. It had been following Hibiki ever since he'd trampled through it, trying to catch the Tarak teen's attention, only for a random series of events to keep the teen from noticing it, be it gouts of steam disrupting it's form, a panel the teen had opened slamming shut in it's face as Hibiki passed through, or more recently, getting lost in the previously mentioned halls of the Ikazuchi.

"Oh man…this isn't happening…!" Hibiki panicked, too caught up in the scanner's countdown to notice his tagalong as he repeatedly slapped his palm against the scanner "I couldn't have screwed anything up! I did everything right this time!"

"_**I'M TALKING TO YOU TEME!"**_ the figure yelled, only to yelp, staggering into the wall and disintegrating into sand when the Ikazuchi rumbled, the ship preparing to take off a full two hours earlier than planned.

Hibiki, so frantic that he failed to heed the telltale rumble, pressed his palm against the scanner after blowing on it to remove any dirt, sighed in relief as the countdown halted, the doors sliding open to reveal the darkened vanguard storage hangar.

"Heh," the teen smirked, crossing his arms confidently as he eyed the rows of machines before him confidently, though a nervous sweat still adorned his brow "Not bad…that was a piece of cake!"

"_**I'll give you cake…" **_the sand figure muttered, it's body reforming as it slithered purposely towards the teen, fist rqaised while the other went through the motion of rolling up it's sleeves, only to pull up short, gaping at the hangar in surprise _**"What the hell're those?"**_

"Let's see…" Hibiki muttered, walking down the rows of machines with a concerned expression "Huh? It's not here? Don't tell me they didn't use the part because of the scratch…?"

"_**These things look pretty tough!" **_the figure muttered to itself, looking approvingly up at the vanguards, slithering along in Hibiki's wake, only to curse as it stumbled into the back of the teen's legs as Hibiki came to an abrupt halt _**"SUNNUVA-!"**_

"There you are, partner!" Hibiki cheered, grinning up at a particular Vanguard with the distinctive mark on it's codpiece section that designated it as his target "Man…you're looking pretty cool…"

"_**What's so cool about it?"**_ the sand figure muttered to itself, looking up at the Vanguard that, save for the scratch, was indistinguishable from it's brethren, only to sweatdrop as Hibiki leapt at the Vanguard like something out of a shoujo manga _**"Oi…what an id-is the floor shaking or is it just me-?!"**_

The figure's thoughts were cut off as Hibiki, offset by the sudden shifting of the Ikazuchi as it launched, landed ass first on top of it, causing it to explode into sand once again, the two of them cursing in sink, though for different reasons.

*******

_Ikazuchi, main hangar ceremony..._

"CHEERS!"

Duero McFile sighed, the longhaired elite looking on as his fellow men celebrated the successful launching of the Ikazuchi. As an Elite, Duero was no stranger to the propaganda and machinations of his fellows, and had been thoroughly bored as he was forced to stand through the Prime Minister's speech.

It wasn't like he, and everyone else on Tarak, hadn't heard the same thing, or something similar, before. Women were the enemy, every man and child under the unrelenting sun knew that, it didn't change the fact that they 2nd and third Generations knew next to nothing about their supposedly monstrous foes.

In truth, Duero had signed up for the Ikazuchi mainly because there was a chance he could get to see the enemy up close. While he hardly believed he'd be able to capture one single-handedly, he felt there was much more to their foes than the grotesque, dramatized images that the Department of Propaganda spewed out as religious doctrine.

"I assume you'll be assigned to Headquarters, right Duero?" one of his fellow elites asked, toasting the long haired man with a cone-shaped cup of champagne as Duero ignored the inquiry by staking a sip of his own.

"With a record like yours you could do whatever you want." Another elite pointed out, smirking with pride at the longhaired man, who thoughtit rather presumptuous of him to suggest such a thing. After all, even Elites had to follow orders.

"I hear he submitted his assignment request form completely blank." A third pointed out, earning looks of confusion from the others as Duero sighed.

It wasn't that he wasn't ambitious…he wouldn't be an 'Elite' if he lacked such a basic thing as ambition, it was simply that Duero didn't want to get stuck planet-side, which is exactly what would happen if they assigned him to HQ.

A career stuck behind a desk listening to the Top Brass spew propaganda and hatred, or a post on the frontlines, where the action was. It really wasn't that hard to choose from was it?

"Hey there!" a voice called out, the Elites turning to find a blonde, First Class recruit walking up to them, a box of food pellets in one hand and a salesman's smile plastered on his handsome face "Everyone having a good time?" He winked and held up the box "This is a sample of our companies new product! It's our own unique formula Special Nutrition Tablets."

He leant in conspiratorially, unnerving the elites somewhat "I probably shouldn't be telling you this but the quality of ingredients is far superior to other pellets." He stepped back with a smile, fishing one of the candy-cane-like pills out before offering the box to the Elites "But I'll let you have a free taste if you like!"

"Uh…no thanks…" one of Duero's comrades muttered, eyeing the blonde man with a look of discomforted embarrassment, the others making simmilar excuses while Duero looked on, intrigued with the display.

"Oh really?" the man sighed, shrugging offhandedly, as if it were their loss, "Too bad, you may never eat this good again…" his smile returned as he turned to face another group "Hey there! You look like gentlemen of distinction! What do you say? Care to try out this new pellet? I recommend it personally-!"

"Who is that guy?" one of Duero's group muttered, the trio of elites watching as the blonde man sauntered off to annoy the rest of the crew, trying to get them to taste his supposedly 'superior' food pellets, and failing admirably.

"His name is Bart." One of the other's supplied with an exasperated expression "His father owns Garsus foods." He grimaced at the blonde's antics "Let's just say his company's keeping us all fed and leave it at that…"

"Gentlemen!" a voice called out, the lights dimming even as the assembled troops looked up in confusion, Duero's frown deepening as the curtainspulled back to reveal a screen "Please direct you attention to the screen above."

'Oh brother…' Duero muttered, his features deadpan as yet another propaganda reel started playing, this time advertising the latest Tsukumo model Vanguards, the rest of the crew looking on in wonder as the machines advanced on their foes, taking direct missile fire without much duress, and carrying a vast assortment of weapons.

'Never mind the fact that the women rarely, if ever, resort to ballistics…' Duero muttered, shaking his head slightly in disgust 'Not to mention the fact that a machine that heavily customized would be a sitting duck for a smaller, faster opponent.'

"So…Dorky…" Bart muttered, his look of disgust at the unaesthetic design of the machines drowned out by the roars of approval from his fellows, though Duero, with his sharp hearing, caught it, and his opinion of the Son of Garsus foods went up a notch.

Of course, his disinterest soon turned to surprise as the curtain rose, revealing several of the machines standing ready, with a startled, third class citizen clinging to one for dear life.

*******

_Vanguard podium..._

'Crap in a hat!' Hibiki panicked, smiling uncertainly at the suddenly silent crowd, as the gathered Elite and First Class soldiers blinked up at him in surprise, to stunned by what they were seeing to react for a few seconds "Um…routine maintenance?"

"ARREST THAT BRAT!" the Prime Minister barked, the security team rushing in with riot sticks and scowls, Hibiki letting off a curse as he vaulted off one of their heads to clamber onto the bust of Grand Pa which stood in the hall.

"Leave me alone dammit!" he swore, kicking at the guards as they swung at him, using the advantage of height and their inability to strike at Grand Pa's image for fear of damaging it to his advantage "Get away from me!"

"Nice of them to provide us with entertainment…" one of Duero's group snickered, the rest of the soldiers cheering for the Third Class intruder, even as the Elite shook his head in exasperation.

"Go for it shorty!" Bart cheered, the blonde First Class soldier calling out to the teen with a taunting grin, Hibiki's hair spiking up as the teen leapt off the bust, planting his boot in a guard's face with a roar.

"WHO THE HELL CALLED ME SHORTY?!" he demanded, only to curse as he was tackled to the ground by the guards, scant inches from Bart, who backed off surprisingly quickly into the crowd, unnerved by the teen's temper "DAMMIT! LET GO OF ME YOU BASTARDS!"

"Take that brat to a cell and throw him in it!" the Prime Minister commanded, the bald, mustachioed Elite glaring down at scene from the monitor, a vein bulging on his brow "We'll have him executed for this later!"

"E-EXECUTED?!" Hibiki yelped, his features paling as his struggles resumed as he was hauled to his feet "DAMMIT! LEMME GO!"

The guards paid no heed to his struggles, frog-marching the teen towards the nearest door, paying no heed to sphere of light that suddenly swooped down and entered the teen's body, though their paused as he tensed, blinking at the piles of sand that fell out of his clothes.

"Hey!" one of them barked, shaking the suddenly limp teen roughly, scowling threateningly as he grabbed a lock of hair "On your feet you little-!"

His threat was abruptly cut off as he was flung, along with his fellow guards, in every direction away from the teen, the soldiers looking on in surprise at the sight of six full grown men being tossed aside by a kid, and an underdeveloped Third Class citizen at that.

Only Duero, who's one visible eye sharpened at the sight, seemed to notice the sudden change in the teen's hairstyle. It had become spikier, and a streak of red now ran through it as the teen straightened up, revealing eyes that glowed red above a confident smirk.

"Ore…" Hibiki called out, Duero's eyebrow quirking at the deeper, decidedly more confident tone that was issuing from the teen's mouth as he dusted off his hands, before moving into a stance, legs held wide and arms spread as if he were surfing "Sanjou!"

"You little punk!" one of the guards yelled, coming at the teen with a riot stick, intending to bash the third class citizen into submission, only to choke as he was punched in the gut, doubling over only to receive a knee to the face.

"Feh…you guys're pathetic…" Hibiki muttered, the red-eyed teen sneering down at the guard as he kicked him between the legs, bending down to pick up the riot stick "Seriously, is this the best you can do?"

"GET HIM!" the Prime Minister roared, a vein bulging dangerously on his forehead as the guards sirged forwards, Hibiki grinning ferally as he tapped his appropriated weapon against his shoulder, completely unintimidated.

"Think you can take me as a group eh?" the red-eyed teen sneered, scoffing disdainfully as he turned to face the group, stick over his shoulder "Sorry guys…but from start to finish, I'm at my CLIMAX! IKUZE!"

That said, he charged into the fray, the stunned Elites looking on in wonder as the bloody brawl kicked off.

*******

_Ikazuchi's Bridge, one hour later..._

"Captain on the bridge!" one of the officers on duty announced, the entire Bridge Crew saluting as the Prime Minister and his fellow Elites arrived, the balding leader scowling something fierce as his chair locked into place.

"That brat turned our ceremony into a shambles…" the man growled, supporting his cheek with his gloved palm as he glared out into space.

Not only had the Third Class brat DARED to mar the wondrous Ikazuchi with his unworthy presence, not ONLY had he dared to touch one of the new Vanguards reserved especially for the Prime Minister's chosen few, but he'd managed to fight off the entire security team in an hour long brawl, one that had injured SEVERAL of said chosen few in the process. In the end, they'd been forced to use stun guns to end the fight, and even then it had taken several shots to take the teen down.

What was worse, the entire event had been televised, which means everyone under the Tarak sun had witnessed a Third Class nobody mop the floor with several of the chosen Elite and First Class soldiers that the Prime Minister had praised not moments before.

"Sir, the escort ship Maboroshi is hailing us with questions regarding the exhibition match." One of the crew on the flight deck announced, trying to avoid meeting the bald man's eyes, which right now looked like they could give Mejele lasers a run for their money.

"The exhibition match is cancelled!" the Prime Minister snapped, the bald Elite glaring pointedly at the crew, who wisely averted their gaze as he waved a hand towards the viewscreen commandingly "Order all ships to move into position!"

"That Third Class brat…" he muttered, sinking back into his chair with a growl as his crew hurriedly to relay his instructions "he won't get away with ruining everything…"

*******

_Holding cell on the Ikazuchi..._

"Oooh…my head…" Hibiki whimpered, his eyes, now their normal black, flinching open, gritting his teeth at the pain running through his entire body "What hit me…?" he wondered, trying to sit up, only to blink as he realized he was wearing what appeared to be a straight jacket "Hey what the-?!"

"Awake are we?" a snide voice muttered, the teen looking up to find several guards glaring at him from the other side of energy bars. For some reason, they looked pretty beat up, one of them had a torn lip, the other a broken nose "You caused a lot of trouble you little pest."

"Who you calling little?!" Hibiki demanded, managing to get to his knees as he glared at the guards, only to blink as he took in his surroundings "Hey! What the hell do you think you're doing, tossing me in a damn storage room?! You could at least put me in a real cell!"

"Shut your hole brat." The one with the broken nose muttered, his tone somewhat muffled because of his injury "For your information, your highness, it might be used for storage but it's a real brig, so simmer down and await your execution like a good convict." He smirked at the paling teen "And I hope they make it as long and drawn out as possible."

"Hi-Type no.6!" the one with the torn lip called out, smirking as an egg-shaped automaton appeared from the side, coming to a halt as it hovered before the cell "Watch the little bastard. He tries anything funny, fry him."

"Beep. Roger." The machine acknowledged, turning to present it's screen, which looked like a touch pad, towards the cell, even as the guards walked off, leaving Hibiki alone with his injuries and this weird sensation in the back of his head, like someone was snoring.

"Why the hell do things like this always happen to me?" the teen muttered, shaking his head with a sigh, wondering if there was someone else in the the cell next to his, before looking up at his guard with a nervous smile "Hey partner, why don't you be a pal and lemme outta here?" he shuffled forwards on his hands and knees, making sure to stay well back from the bars "We were both born in a factory right? That sorta makes us brothers, right?"

"Beep." The machine contradicted, it's tone negatory as it continued to hover impassively before the energy bars, well out of reach "We are composed of completely different materials, therefore the term 'brothers' is incorrect."

"C'mon, I've got this great generator back home!" the teen pleaded, trying to win the outdated relic over with the prospect of an upgrade, something many a bot he'd worked on would kill for, and had "Let me outta here and I'll install it for free1"

"DENIED." The robot countered, an angry red X appearing on it's screen as Hibiki flinched "The subject is making an improper request. Instigation of attempted bribery and escape are crimes. Therefore…"

"Therefore?" Hibiki repeated, blinking in confusion as he looked at the egg-shaped sentinel in concern, wondering just what it was planning to do, even as two small prongs extended from it's body.

"Punishment." The sentinel finished, unleashing a blast of electricity that lit poor Hibiki up like a Christmas tree, sending him crashing face first into the floor.

However, rather than the subduing effect that the tool had been installed for, and the sentinel had been aiming for, the teen quickly leapt back onto his feet, his arms ripping trough the straightjacket as his eyes turned a sharp red, a streak of red running through his now spikier locks.

"THAT HURT TAMAGO-YARO!" Hibiki roared, the now red-eyed teen's deeper voice actually forcing the sentinel to stumble slightly in midair from the force of the yell "Who the hell do you think I am?!"

"Identity scan of subject commencing." The machine complied, it's screen shifting as it scanned the raging teen's biological data "Subject is human, organic body structure. Searching database…scan complete. You are-!"

Whatever the little bot had been about to say was cut short by a burst of static, followed by a muted explosion, the Ikazuchi shifting suddenly to the side, causing the poor robot to slam against the bars with a burst of electricity and drawn out cry of 'BEEP!'

"What the heck?!" Hibiki yelped, the red-eyed teen landing on his ass once more as he gaped at his surroundings, "what the hell's going on now?!"

*******

_Bridge of the Ikazuchi..._

"I GAVE THE ORDER TO STOP THE EXHIBITION!" the Prime Minister snapped, standing from his chair and glaring at the crew. First the trouble with the brat and now this? Was it so hard for the supposed Elite, the cream of Tarak's birthing factories, to follow such simple instructions?

"This isn't part of the exhibition!" one of the crewmen called out, even as they tried to get the ship under control, as several flashes of light flitted past the screens "It's the women! They're launching a surprise attack! Formation has been broken!"

"ALL SHIPS!" the Prime Minister snapped, waving his hand to the side as he glared at their hated enemies as the harpies closed in "GUARD THE IKAZUCHI!"

*******

_Tarak Space, debris cluster..._

As the men scrambled to move into a defensive formation around their newly refitted Flagship, a Mejele craft, smaller and decidedly more advanced, appeared from behind the rubble like a shark advancing on a wounded whale.

"Well captain…" a silver haired woman with dark skin noted, smiling smugly as she watched their fighters swarm over the ship like wasps "It looks like we caught ourselves a big one."

"Mhm…" an aged voice agreed, a woman wearing a cowl which gave the impression of cat ears smirking at the scene before her "Looks like it's our lucky day."

*******

_Holding Cell on the Ikazuchi..._

"Looks like this is my lucky day…" Hibiki muttered, the red-eyed teen smirking to himself as he pressed two wires he'd pulled from the fired robot into the locking mechanism of the cell, cutting off the power to the bars "Heh, no cell's strong enough to hold me!" he stuck his head out into the corridor "Yosh…time to get outta here…"

"B-beep…" the robot whined, Hibiki turning, narrowing his crimson eyes at the egg-shaped automaton in annoyance as it lay there, damaged and defenseless, it's systems completely shorted out by the collision with the bars.

"Feh…serves you right…" he muttered, though his features showed conflicting emotions as he looked from the deserted corridor to his onetime guard, clearly torn between making a break for it and saving the machine.

"Kuso…" he muttered, gripping his head for a few seconds, before grabbing the robot under his arm like a rugby ball and running off "You better not zap me again, ot I'll turn you into an omelet!"

"Hull breach in sector three!" a voice announced over the intercom, even as Hibiki tore down the trembling hallways "Electromagnetic doors activated! Intruder alert! All personnel proceed to the control center of the Ikazuchi!"

"What the hell's going on?!" Hibiki demanded, not honestly caring so long as he could get his, or rather, his hosts body out of here before the shit that had crashed into the fan could spray his way "Screw this! I can't let this kid die till he tells me his wish!"

He blinked, looking up at the sound of something crashing, only to curse as a section of the wall exploded, blinding him and sending him into blessed unconsciousness once more.

*******

_Bridge of the Ikazuchi..._

"Minister!" one of the Elite's aides cried out, looking on in alarm as the bald Elite readied the emergency lever that would separated the new additions to the Ikazuchi from the original ship "You mustn't do this!"

"We cannot afford to let the entire ship be captured by our enemies!" the Prime Minister countered, tears in his eyes as he prepared himself "I must at least save the new section of the Ikazuchi…and in order to keep everything from falling into female hands…I'll separate the old from the new!"

So saying, he pushed the emergency lever forward, causing the new additions to the old colony ship to separate, the smaller, streamlined craft drifting away from it's bulkier additions, even as the men still stranded in the newer sections cried out in alarm.

Unfortunately for the Prime Minister, he'd just made the women's task all the easier, as the pirates could care LESS about the clunky, outdated newer sections of the Men's Flagship.

No, it was the old colonization vessel that had been refitted that was their true prize.

*******

Ikazuchi, Paeksis Pragma corridor.

"Ow…" Hibiki groaned, his hair and eyes once again back to normal as he slowly regained consciousness "What happened?" he wondered, lifting a hand up to rub his face, blinking as he realized it was no longer restrained, only to pause as it bumped against something round, soft and decidedly squishy.

"What the heck?" he wondered, giving the strange mound an experimental squeeze, marveling at the feeling as it molded to his touch, only to look up at a soft moan from whatever it was attached to, his eyes bugging out at the sight of the alien mask of one of their hated foes as she lay on top of him. "HOLY SHIT!" he yelled, shoving the rousing creature off him, the female letting out a startled cry as he scrambled to his feet "MONSTER! HELP!"

"WAIT!" a voice called out, Hibiki turning round in surprise at the lack of hostility in the creatures tone, his eyes widening further as it reached up, removing the mask from her face, the entire upper section of her suit falling away to reveal a redhead young girl with bright blue eyes "WOW! It's a real alien!"

"A-Alien?" Hibiki stammered, the Tarak teen staring at the, admittedly less horifying than he'd expected, woman in confusion, wondering what on earth she was talking about. SHE was the alien here after all, this was a MAN'S ship!

"_**Oooooh…"**_ a voice groaned, the duo jumping, their eyes widening as they turned to gape at a pile of sand, from which formed the upper torso of a horned figure, which was holding it's head, it's legs hanging in mid-air above it's head _**"What happened? What hit me?"**_

"AGH!" Hibiki shrieked, the poor, Third Class Citizen backing away from animated sand figure in alarm, his eyes threatening to pop out of his skull as it turned to look at him "Another monster! A sand demon!"

"_**DEMON?!" **_the sand creature demanded, turning to glare at the teen angrily, shaking it's fists at Hibiki irately _**"I'm not an monster you freaking chibi! Is that the thanks In get for saving your life?!"**_

"Saved my life?" Hibiki repeated, the teen looking at the animated sand pile in confusion, and a little bit of apprehension, as demons were considered a tricky, coniving lot "What are you talking about?"

"_**Who d'ya think busted you outta that cell while you were taking a dirt nap?"**_ the creature demanded tersely, crossing it's arms with a huff _**"Mataku…what a troublesome contractor I've gotten mixed up with…"**_

"WOW!" the redhead cheered, the two of them jumping, having completely forgotten she was there, turning round to find her looking between them, her wide eyes glittering with excitement "Another alien!

"_**Alien?!"**_ the sand creature repeated, looking highly insulted as he rounded on the girl, shaking a fist "_**I'm no alien! I'm an Inmajin! In-ma-jin!"**_

The redhead apparently wasn't listening, as she seemingly ignored the figures outburst in favor of kneeling before them whilst making a weird series of hand gestures towards the pair, who blinked, and mimicked her gestures after a moment's hesitation.

"I did it! It worked!" the redhead cheered, clasping her hands together in glee as tears of joy formed in her eyes "I made first contact…"

'This woman's insane…' Hibiki and the Inmajin muttered, sweat dropping as she laughed to herself, before the Tarak teen decided to make a break for it, grabbing the robot along the way "LATER!"

"_**OI!"**_ the Inmajin yelled, turning around and racing after the teen, leaving a trail of sand and curses in it's wake as it shook it's fists in the air _**"Get back here runt! Don't leave me with this crazy dame!"**_

"Hey wait a second!" the redhead pleaded, struggling to free herself from the remains of her spacesuit as they raced off "I wanna take a picture!"

All the while, neither of them noticed the strange, glowing sphere that hung in the background, despite the fact it took up most of the room.

*******

_Old section of the Ikazuchi, Sub-bridge..._

"I don't believe it…" a breathy voice marveled as a trio of women moved into the old, darkened sub-bridge of the Ikazuchi, looking around in amazement at the condition it was in after all these years "Nothing's been touched here…"

"Then it appears what we found isn't the main bridge…" the silver haired woman from before muttered, walking past her crewmates as they struggled out of their suits. The women had already seized control over most of the ship, and were rounding up the remaining stragglers that had been left behind, having suffered minor casualties.

"Captain, this is Buzam." She declared, speaking into a communicator as she fired up one of the dusty, unused terminals "The men have escaped by splitting the ship into two, and we've gained access to some sort of sub-bridge."

"Oh my…" the breathy voiced woman exclaimed, looking on in concern as the Tarak-text scrolled up the screen, completely at a loss as to what it was saying "whatever shall we do? I can't read a word of this…"

"Just leave it to me!" a bespectacled young woman insisted, pulling out a weird device from inside her suit "I knew something like this would happen, so I brought along this Inter-pricko!" She smiled at Buzam "I'll set one up for you commander…"

"Meia…" Buzam called out over the radio, the silver haired second-in-command of the pirates' fingers flying across the keyboards as she read the men's language with apparently little difficulty "Give me a status report."

"The men have all been secured." The blue haired captain of the dread squadrons announced respectfully over the radio, looking on as she oversaw the evacuation of the survivors, who were being evacuated on the escape pods.

"No way…" the bespectacled young woman groaned, looking on in disappointment as Buzam gave the order to dump the hostages "You mean you can read this stuff?" she sighed as her comrade tried to console her "No fair…and I worked so hard on this…"

*******

_Hallway of the Ikazuchi..._

"Oh man what a day!" Hibiki gasped, the Tarak teen running for dear life as his pursuers called out for him to stop "the liver-eating woman was bad enough! No I got a sand devil following me around!"

"Mr. Alien!" the redheaded girl called out, smiling excitedly as she chased the teen with apparently little trouble, only her pausing to snap pictures keeping her from catching up "C'mon! Let's just sit down and have a little chat!"

"_**Get back here gaki!"**_ the Inmajin demanded, his feet racing frantically above his head as he tried to catch the teen, leaving a trail of sand in his wake _**"Just slow down and tell me your wish already!"**_

"Like hell!" Hibiki yelled back over his shoulder, cursing as his bag snagged on a nearby nail, ripping off his shoulders and crashing into the Inmajin, who sputtered incomprehensibly as he dissolved into sand "Don't you people ever give up?!"

"Mr. Alien! Why're you running away?!" the redhead demanded plaintively, even as she tried to snap pictures of the teen, the hallway, and anything else that caught her attention "We're really a peaceful race!"

"_**TEME!" **_the Inmajin roared, surging past the redhead with its hands outstretched, aiming for Hibiki's neck, or at the very least his waist, since that was as high as he could reach _**"GET BACK HERE ALREADY!"**_

"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"

*******

_Ikazuchi Sub-Bridge..._

"Oh my…" the breathy voiced female gasped, looking on in concern as the long range scanners of the refurbished ship picked up the men's last ditch attempt to save face "There's a missile locked onto us!"

"What?!" Buzam demanded, the silver haired woman cursing as the proximity alarm sounded in confirmation to her colleagues report, rounding on the bespectacled woman "Parfet, is it possible to move the ship?"

"I'm afraid we can't…" Parfet countered, the bespectacled chief technician shrugging helplessly as she turned to look at the silver haired second-in-command, completely defeated by the men's cutting corners "the engine's dead."

"Damn!" Buzam cursed, though if she hadn't already known that it was simply because of negligence she'd have praised the men's forthought, before pulling the communicator up to her ear "Captain! What do we do?"

"I see it." the captain acknowledged over the radio, her tone grim as she watched the missiles draw ever closer to their target, the dreads already heading back "Losing the ship would be a shame…but let's get outta here!"

"Roger!" Buzam acknowledged, even as the other two made preparations to return to the ship, slipping back into their suits "Did you copy that, Meia?"

*******

_Dita's Dread, Paeksis Pragma corridor..._

"I've lost Dita." The dread captain reported in another section of the ship, her tone as grim as her expression "I'll rendezvous with the rest of you as soon as I've found her so go on ahead."

"_**GET BACK HERE!"**_ a voice roared, Meia and Jura, her second in command, blinking as they gaped over the guardrail, just in time to see a young man from Tarak being chased by their missing comrade…and what appeared to be a pile of sand.

"Dita?" Meia stammered, the blue haired commander of the Dread Squadrons blinking in confusion at the bizarre sight, even as Jura shook her head in disbelief, the beginnings of a headache coming on.

"Did you see that Meia?" the busty blonde pilot wondered, a confused expression on her face as she watched the scene below, wondering if the smell of Paiway's disinfectant was getting to her at last "is it just me or is that sand alive?"

"Dita!" Meia called out, leaping down and tackling her young subordinate, halting her from getting any closer to the man and the thing chasing him. Whatever it was, the man obviously didn't think it was friendly, which meant it wasn't under their control.

"M-Meia!" the redhead gasped, looking up at the blue haired young woman with a hint of concern, and rightfully so, for Meia was always getting on her case for goofing off, especially since she usually forgot what she was supposed to be doing when she did.

"Meia! Where are you?!" Buzam's voice demanded over the radio, the silver-haired second-in-command having already departed with the rest of the crew on the main ship, her features lined with concern as the missiles drew ever closer.

"All three accounted for!" Meia assured her, even as she, Jura and Dita raced towards their respective machines "We're leaving now on the dreads."

*******

_Vanguard Hangar..._

While the women were boarding their machines, Hibiki was still trying to lose his remaining pursuer, which was proving rather difficult.

"_**Dammit kid!" **_the Inmajin yelled as they rounded a corner, finally starting to catch up, since unlike Hibiki, it didn't run out of breath _**"We don't have time for this! Those dames are bugging outta here for a reason! We gotta make trails too!"**_

"What do you think I'm looking for?!" Hibiki demanded, the Tarak engineer racing round a sharp corner as he made his way back to the Vanguard storage hall "If you wanna escape, go ahead by yourself!"

"_**If anything happens to you it won't matter if I escape or not!" **_the Inmajin countered with a snap _**"If you die, I go too! So I gotta get you outta here!"**_

"Then quit trailing sand all over the place and hurry up!" Hibiki yelled, bursting into the hangar even as Meia, Jura and Dita were clambering into their respective Dreads "If we can just find that vanguard…"

"_**That ugly lookin' robot?" **_the Inmajin demanded, looking up at his contractor in confusion, and a little annoyance _**"How in the hell's that clunker gonna save us? It didn't do those other guys any good!"**_

"We can use it to get off the ship!" Hibiki countered, tucking the robot tighter under his arm as he glanced around the room "And besides! I can't just leave it! I swore I'd being it back with me! And a man always keeps his word!"

"_**A man's word huh?" **_the Inmajin muttered, looking up at the teen with a calculative expression, as if revising his oinion of Hibiki for thebetter _**"Heh, I like that gaki!"**_ he dusted off hia hands theatrically _**"Yosh! Let's find this thing!"**_

"Yeah! Hey I see it!" Hibiki cheered, the Third-Class teen grinning as he espied the vanguard, toppled over and the hatch already open, clearly knocked down while the pilot had been attempting to get in "Hey wait…there's only room for one!"

"_**Not a problem!" **_the Inmajin declared, turning into a ball of light and entering Hibiki's body, the teen jerking as his eyes flashed red and his hair acquired a red streak as he smirked confidently, going through a one armed version of his entrance pose, the egg-robot under his arm "Ore…Sanjou!"

"_Hey! What the hell?!"_ Hibiki yelled, the Tarak teen's voice echoing inside his own head as he watched his body moved on it's own, like he was playing one of those first-person holo-games he and the others enjoyed "_What the hell'd you do?!"_

"Oh calm down." The Inmajin muttered, snorting dismissively at the teen's discomfort as he leapt down the debris towards the vanguard at a breakneck pace "This way all three of us can get into the thing, no problem!"

"_Of course there's a problem!" _Hibiki raged, his anger and terror at being possessed making the inside of his head flash a dangerous red as he tried to regain control of his limbs "_Gimme back my body!"_

"IKUZE-IKUZE-IKUZE!" the Inmajin cried, apparently heedless of Hibiki's discomfort and attempts to regain control as he leapt across the debris, landing inside the Vanguards cockpit and shutting the hatch "Yosh!" he declared, grabbing the control sticks "Let's get this show on the road!"

He paused suddenly, his crimson eyes looking at the dark interior and controls before him in confusion "Uh brat…" he muttered, after a few tense seconds of awkward silence "you know how to fly this thing?"

"You mean you don't know?!" Hibiki demanded, the young man sounding highly panicked at this latest obstacle as the seconds to the missile's impact continued to count down "I don't know how to fly this thing!"

"EEEH?!" the Inmajin gaped, his crimson eyes widening hilariously with shock as he gripped the control sticks "You mean you snuck onto this ship to steal this thing and you don't even know how to turn it ON?!"

"_Oh like you're one to talk!"_ Hibiki countered, though in truth the Tarak Teen's voice was lined with unrestrained panic as they heard a countdown start up over the speakers _"Crap! Do something!"_

"I am doing something!" the Inmajin countered, pulling on levers and mashing buttons in an attempt to get the Vanguard moving, while over in her dread, Dita was panicking as she realized she was stuck "Move dammit! MOVE!"

Just as he spoke, the giant orb that dominated the center of the ship shone bright, a white light bathing everything in it's path, just as the Muramasa Missiles detonated.

*******

_Detached newer section of the Ikazuchi, bridge..._

"We're losing mass sir!" the bridge hand called out, watching with mixed emotions as the Muramasa missiles detonated, taking with them not only the female pirates, but a piece of Tarak's glorious history.

"I hope you women enjoyed the taste of defeat." The Prime Minister muttered bitterly, his features cold as he glared at the receding ball of fire and gas, which was slowly falling in on itself, like a black hole, before giving the order to contact the rest of the fleet to come and pick them up.

Not even out of Tarak orbit and already their precious Flagship was damaged and adrift. He could only pray that the suffering those pirates had gone through would be worth the reprimanding he was likely to receive from Grand Pa for his blunder in losing the old section of the Ikazuchi.

* * *

*Double Action-Sword Form Playing in the background*

Momotaros: Oi...this looks like a great pinch kiddo!

Dita: Mr. Alien! Save me!

Hibiki: What is this?! What's going on?

Buzam: Are you just going to run away?

Momotaros: Those Cube bastards! Lemme at 'em!

Dita: Ah! Mr Alien! Your friend has legs now!

Next time on Kamen Rider Vandred-O: a Man's decision!

Momotaros: I'll show you a real Climax soon enough!

R&R for more!


	2. Chapter 2

Momo: Oi Kyu-yaro! When am I gonna get a chance to cut loose?!

Kyugan: Give it a rest will you? Finding a way to put these two tales together ain't easy.

Momo: Tch, It's cause you're always focussed on the details! So long as it builds up to a climax, who cares?

Kyugan: 'I' Do, now get out of here, the chapter's starting.

Momo: YOSH! I'll show everyone my Hissatsu Waza-!

Kyugan: Also, someone pointed out that it was 'Imajin' rather than 'Inmajin', my apologies, the error has been corrected in this chapter.

* * *

Chapter 2: Wish for a miracle.

Hibiki blinked, his eyes widening as he hung limp in a strange emerald void that seemed to be filled with liquid. "What is this…?" he wondered, looking around in confusion, trying to see where he was, or if there was anyone else "What's going on?"

A figure appeared before the teen, a human sized figure in white and black, the emerald light concealed its features. "Who are you?" the teen wondered, looking in concern as the being reached out, Hibiki tensing, only to blink as it grabbed his ID card, snapping the chain "HEY!"

The figure held up a hand for silence, before reaching behind it's back and drawing a strange, handheld device, into which it slotted Hibiki's id card. With a nod, it handed the device to Hibiki, who blinked as he reached out to accept it.

"Who are you?" he asked again, gripping the strange device in his hand, only to gape in horror as an armored giant appeared behind the figure, letting loose a scream as he fell deeper into the void, the robot falling alongside him, his screams joined by those of three women, and one highly startled Imajin, who looked like he was trying to swim back up into the void as he sank along with them.

*******

_A distant corner of space..._

Magno Vivian, captain of the pirate crew that had so easily caught the men off guard, groaned as she sat up in her chair, the two women with her on the bridge slowly coming too as the bright light that had engulfed their ship faded away.

"This doesn't look like the afterlife…" she muttered, grimacing as she held a hand to her aching head "hurts too much too…but where are we?!"

She cursed, gripping the sides of her command chair as the ship began to shake like it was in a blender, her navigators letting out cries of their own as they held on for dear life.

"What's going on NOW?!" the aged captain demanded, only to grimace as she looked up, watching as the Paeksis, the living crystal that formed the core of the ship, extended tendrils from the Ikazuchi's main body to snag their own, as well as the debris floating around them "Don't tell me it's trying to eat the ship?!"

All in all, Magno was beginning to REALLY regret listening to that tip-off about the men's new flagship. It was turning out to be one of her lesser known, poor business decisions.

*******

_Hold of the Ikazuchi..._

"Oh…" Meia muttered, the blue haired captain of the dread squadrons slowly sitting up, holding her aching head "Jura…" she called out, catching sight of her blonde second lying not too far away "Where's Dita…?"

"Over here…!" Dita called out, waving languidly from a ledge, looking slightly dazed, or concussed, one or the other "Something went BEEP! And then VROOM!" she collapsed with a dazed expression "And then I don't know what happened…Alien power is amazing…"

Meia sighed, realizing that was the best she could hope for from the ditzy, youngest member of her squadron, before turning to look at their surroundings. The inside of the hangar had changed to resemble a crystalline cave, like something you'd find underground, with no signs of the metal walls and doors that had once filled the area.

She frowned, her eyes narrowing as she espied the young man that Dita had been chasing earlier lying nearby, a strange, egg-shaped machine tucked under his arm. It seemed he'd somehow survived too, something she fully intended to rectify at the first possible…

She trailed off, her green eyes widening in shock at the sight of what lay not ten feet from the boy, her hand going to her communicator even as she brought her laser ring up to bear on it "CAPTAIN!"

"Meia." Magno greeted, the hodded old woman's cracked voice laced with relief, but still decidedly grim at the Paeksis' continued corrosion of her ship "So good to see you're still with us. What about Jura and Dita."

"All present and accounted for!" Meia assured the captain, the leader of the Dread squadrons never taking her eyes of the creature before her "Captain…I've found a Tarak survivor and...something else...up here!"

"Something else?" Magno repeated, the elderly captain's brow furrowing at this latest turn of events, even as Jura let out a gasp, having finally seen what Meia was talking about, and Dita cheered excitedly "I'll be right up."

"Meia…" Jura whispered, the buxom blonde second in command of the dread squadron tense. her hand gripping the hilt of her sword as she gazed down at the sight before her "What…what is this thing?"

"Whatever it is…" Meia muttered, grimacing at the thing while Dita danced around taking pictures of it with her camera "I don't like it."

*******

_Several hours later..._

"Oooh…" Hibiki muttered, sitting up with groan, only to curse as his head slammed into the underside of a shelf, upsetting the boxes stacked on top "What the hell?" he wondered, blinking at the cuffs on his hands, looking around in confusion only to slump as he realized where he was "Great…back in the same stinking cell again…couldn't they at least stick me somewhere without any junk in it?"

"I see you're awake." A voice noted, the teen jumping, turning round to find a longhaired man in a doctor's coat sitting across from him, one long bang covering half his face "My name is Duero McFile." The man introduced "Do you have a name, Mr. Third-Class citizen?"

"Don't make fun of me!" Hibiki countered, the Tarak teen pulling himself up straight as he glared defiantly at the older man "My name's Hibiki Tokai!" he muttered "And I'm not just another Third Class citizen!"

"You're the one that made the commotion during the ceremony, right?" Duero asked, smirking at the younger man with hidden approval "How'd you manage to sneak in anyway?"

Before Hibiki could reply, the robot, which he'd been lugging along without even thinking about all this time, suddenly sparked, beeping randomly, before suddenly sprouting arms and legs, a pair of eyes forming on it's screen. "Pyoro!" it chirped, looking around in confusion as it scratched its, for lack of a better word, head "Where am I?" it asked, it's voice higher, different from the emotionless tone it had possessed before "WHO am I?"

"You've changed a bit…haven't you?" Hibiki muttered, a deadpan expression on his face as the machine turned towards him with an inquisitive beep, something within the teen telling him he was going to miss the emotionless version for some reason "Want me to fix you up?"

"Don't make fun of me!" the modified little robot snapped, waving it's stubbly little arms irately as it glared up at the teen, the eyes on it's screen narrowing in offence to the teen's offer "I'm not broken!"

"Well then what're you staring at me for-?!" Hibiki demanded, only to recoil in horror as a tall, silver haired woman with dark skin appeared outside the cell, escorted by two smaller women, both of whom were aiming laser-rings at them "WOMEN!" he yelped, backing off, only to glare defiantly at them "What am I doing here? What are you planning on doing to me?!

"Try to calm down." The silver haired woman suggested, imposing herself before the bars of the sell with a hand on her hip, the other hanging casually at her side "This is the safest place on the ship for you right now."

"Oh yeah like I'm gonna believe you!" Hibiki muttered, the Tarak Teen glaring up at the women defiantly, though internally he was sweating buckets as all his childhood nightmares began to relive themselves inside the heatre of his mind "You're just planning to eat my guts later!"

"Eat your…?" the silver haired woman repeated, a look of confusion on her face, before scoffing, her escort giggling uncontrollably as they realized the teen actually believed his planet's propaganda "Well before we have dinner, I'd like to ask you something, so come with us."

"Like I have a choice?" Hibiki muttered, getting to his feet with a scowl as he glared at the woman, Duero mutely following suit as they fell into line behind the women. As they walked, Hibiki's took the time to let his eyes wander over their captors, noting the differences in their shape to his own. True, not all of them were taller than the teen, but they certainly looked slimmer, except in certain areas.

'What the hell do they have in there anyway?' he wondered, reaching out tentatively to poke one of them in the backside, only to flinch as she turned, slowly, to face him, her cheeks red and her eyes flashing with embarrassed anger.

For some reason, Hibiki knew he was in trouble before she even opened her mouth.

*******

_A modified bath hall..._

"Ow…" Hibiki whimpered, the teen twitching feebly, the imprint of the woman's palm across his cheek as he sat next to Duero in some sort of bathroom, the silver haired woman frowning down at him, though he thought he saw a look of bemusement in her eyes. Unbeknownst to the teen, the other escort was sending him a look of bemused pity, while her comrade was resolutely refusing to even look at him, her cheeks still a healthy pink "Why the heck'd she do that?"

"A gentleman must never be rude to a lady!" Pyoro beeped, the little egg shaped sentinel robot pointing up at the teen accusingly, it's tone that of a lecturing parent, earning a heated glare from Hibiki.

"Ah screw it you hunk of junk!" the teen snapped, glaring down at the robot, who continued to stare up at him, unimpressed by his threats "And what the heck do you mean 'never be rude?' we're enemies for Grand Pa's sake!"

"Doesn't mean we can't show each other some common courtesy." Buzam pointed out, the silver haired second in command smirking at the teen in bemusement "Bit of advice kid, you wanna keep your liver, you'll keep your hands to yourself."

Hibiki recoiled, gazing fearfully at the three women in the room, the brunette of whom was trying hard not to giggle, while the silver haired one smiled cryptically, while the last avoided looking at him altogether.

The door to the bathroom opened, admitting a blue haired woman in a white flight suit, Duero's eyes widening slightly at the sight of the captive she pushed in before her at laser point.

"Hey there comrades…" Bart Garsus greeted, the blonde, First Class recruit looking rather pathetic as he tried to smile despite his obvious terror, managing to come off looking constipated in the process "How's it going?"

"HEY!" Hibiki yelled, the Tarak teen's hair bristling in anger as he instantly recognizing the blonde man from the ceremony, only Buzam's glare keeping the teen in his seat "You're the jerk that called me short!"

"Oh? You're here too?" Bart blinked, looking honestly surprised to see that the third class teen was not only still alive, but apparently unharmed except for the handprint on his cheek, only to wince as Meia shoved him forward, the blonde taking a seat between Duero and Hibiki, even as the captain hobbled in.

"My goodness…" Magno muttered, the aged pirate captain looking around at the figures lined up before her with a look of disappointment "I'd heard you'd rounded up some prisoners, but they're just kids."

"Hey, hey!" Pyoro chirped, the energetic little robot hopping towards the Magno pulling off a cheesy little pirouette before saluting the old woman sharply "It's interrogation time! I'll tell you everything!"

"How nostalgic…" Magno noted, the pirate captain smiling down at the automaton fondly, even as Bart and Hibiki glared at the treacherous bundle of scrap "It's a Navi-Robot, and this one still seems to be functioning."

"How do you know that?" Hibiki wondered, looking up at the old woman suspiciously. The only member of the first generation he trusted was Gramps, all the others were self-serving jerks that would gladly let everyone else rot if they could enjoy themselves. He didn't know if things were any better on Mejele, but he wasn't about to bet on it, after all, they were the enemy, and pirates to boot "This is a men's ship isn't it?"

"Yes, and before that it was used for colonization." Magno added, smirking at the stunned looks on the men's faces "You really don't know anything do you? This old ship was part of a fleet that left planet earth to colonize." She waved a hand dismissively "Of course this happened many years before your fathers were born." She snorted "Unfortunately your cowardly grandfathers severed this section and ran away into the night."

"They overhauled an old battleship and added residential quarters." Pyoro offered helpfully, apparently solidifying the woman's claim, which didn't make the three Tarak prisoners feel any better about their situation.

"And now we find ourselves back in theis battle ship." Magno noted with a smirk "This is our business you know, so we'll gladly take the ship. The problem is what we're supposed to do with you guys…" she frowned "and that other thing…"

"Other thing?" Duero wondered, the Elite Medic looking up at the elderly captain in confusion, noting with concern that the other women had tensed up at her words "Is something wrong with the ship?"

"Other than the fact the Paeksis crystal seems to be spreading throughout the entire thing?" Magno asked, snorting wryly at Bart and Hibiki's looks of dazed ignorance, before turning to nod at Hibiki "No, it involves this weird…thing, that we found lying near your machine."

"We tried capturing it, but it managed to escape into the bowls of the ship." Buzam supplied, earning a look of alarm from Bart "Whatever it is, it's strong, and fast, and it doesn't like being shot at either."

"Who does?" Hibiki muttered, the Tarak teen glaring defiantly up at the silver haired woman as she quirked an eyebrow at him for his sass, before turning to look at the captain "So did you at least get a good look at this thing?"

"Trust me, you'll know it when you see it." Magno muttered, waving a hand dismissively, "if you do, scream as loud as you can, and maybe we'll show up in time to haul your assess out before it can beat us to your livers."

*******

_Garden of the Ikazuchi..._

"Oh dear…" Ezra sighed, the mild mannered woman looking through a digital telescope as she tried to match the constellations around the ship to the ones that were recognizable to Mejele or Tarak space "None of them match…I just don't get it…"

"You don't get it?" Dita asked, the redheaded dread pilot and self prolaimed Alien Otaku staring at the elder woman incredulously. The two of them standing in the restored garden center of the colony ship, which provided the best view for Ezra's star gazing "It's an amazing thing to meet a real alien!"

"You're right it Is amazing," Ezra agreed, smiling patiently at younger, redeaded pilot as she lowered the telescope from her eyes once more "We thought Paeksis was just an energy source, but it restored the whole ship!"

"He made it like new…" Dita sighed, the redhead lounging dreamily on the railing as Ezra searched the skies for familiar markers "That means that if I can get abducted…" she trailed off at Ezra's tired sigh "What's the matter, you don't feel well?"

"Oh, it's nothing Dita, I'm fine." Ezra assured the younger woman with a smile, though even Dita, not noted for being quick on the uptake at times, noted woman looked a little flushed, as if she were coming down with something "I'm just thinking about everyone."

"I think about them too…" Dita agreed with a sad sigh, turning back to lean on the railing as she stared out into the sea of stars, her features wimsical "All the veterans that we had to leave behind at our base for this mission…"

"I'd really like to go back soon…" Ezra admitted, only to blink as Dita stood up, pointing excitedly out into space "What is it?" she asked, following her gaze with the telescope, noting three inbounds headed right for them "What do you think it could be?"

"Isn't it obvious?!" Dita exclaimed, looking like the cat that got the Unidentified Flying Canary Flavored Object "It's a UFO!"

Unbeknownst to the two, their conversation had been heard by another party, who didn't much like the sound of Dita's so-called 'UFO', and decided it was time to find a way out of here.

*******

_Back at the bath house..._

"So the long haired one's a doctor…" Magno muttered, looking the trio of men over with an appraising as she munched down on strawberry jello. This was certainly a rare find. The only 'medic' they had on crew was Paiway, and while the little dear tried her hardest, Magno would feel a lot more confident with a fully trained specialist running the sickbay, even if it was a man. For one thing, she doubted Duero's treatment for serious wounds was to forbid people from sustaining further injuries "What about the short one?"

"He's an attacker." Meia supplied, Hibiki's protest, at being referred to as short or as an attacker was anyone's guess, being cut off by an elbow to the ribs from Bart "I saw him climbing into an enemy powered suit."

"Is that so?" Magno wondered, looking up with interest at the head of the dread squadron, even as Hibiki tried to catch his breath and throttle Bart at the same time. Despite their clunky appearance, the Vanguards were much more versatile than the dreads. For one thing, they could be used to externally repair the ship, or carry cargo off the planet.

"There's something approaching!" one of the bridge crew called out over the intercom, the group, men and women alike, looking up at the ceiling in alarm, even as Buzam patched through, a frown on her face.

"Is it male reinforcements?" she demanded, the men sitting up straighter at the prospect of their comrades coming to their aid, only for the group to brace themselves as the ship came under fire, accompanied by Dita's yell of 'The alien's are upset!'.

'That girl has a talent for stating the obvious…' Magno muttered as Meia ran off to mobilize the Dreads, though she highly doubted it was actually aliens, for all she knew they'd entered a Tarak mine field, or the territory of a different colony that didn't take to kindly to trespassers. Either way, Magno had been shot at enough for one day, and felt it was about time she gave back as good as she was given.

That, and she REALLY hated to see good jello go to waste, and that cup it had been served in had been her favorite.

*******

_Hold of the Ikazuchi..._

"What is this…?" Jura wondered, the busty blonde dread pilot gaping in wonderment at her Dread, which had apparently been remodeled by the encroachment of the Paeksis crystals as the consumed the rest of the ship.

"Wow!" Dita gasped, the redhead looking equally, if not more amazed as she approached her own modified machine, the two of them quickly clambering in even as Meia fired up her instrument panels with a frown.

"Looks like the system hasn't changed too much…" Meia muttered, the squadron leader's features solemn as she checked everything out just to be on the safe side, before contacting the other two on the comm-chanell "How about you?"

"It looks like I can fly it…" Jura admitted, the blonde pilot's features appearing on the screen, though truth be told she looked as uncertain as Meia. After all, who knew what hell the Paeksis had wrecked on their machines.

"Im' positive they must've powered up!" Dita exclaimed, the redhead's own features laced with excitement, her bright baby blues eyes sparkling ecstatically as she eyed the interior of her modified fighter craft "It's so exciting!"

"Just don't go doing anything foolish." Meia warned them, the Squadron leader looking particularly hard at Dita as she spoke, as it had been exactly such a predicament that had gotten the redhead in trouble during the raid "You got that?"

"Roger!" the other two announced, the trio firing up their dreads, the modified attack crafts tearing out of the Ikzuchi's hangar into space, engaging their new opponents in a flurry of high-speed maneuvers and laser fire.

"Please calm down Mr. Aliens!" Dita called out over the radio, the redhead trying to negotiate with these supposed extraterrestrials "We're a very peaceful race! I'm sure we can talk about what's bothering you!"

"Dita! These are our enemies!" Jura exclaimed, frowning at the redhead as her Dread almost clipped the blonde's in passing, only to pause, watching her weave around laser fire in surprise "Wait…she wasn't that good of a pilot was she?"

"The instruments' responses have changed." Meia noted over the com, grimacing as the G-force of her acceleration actually caused her some minor discomfort. 'This will certainly take some getting used to...'

"I don't even know WHO the enemy is!" Jura exclaimed, the blond Dread pilot's features lined with concern as she piloted her own Dread through the hail of laser fire, wincing as several passed too close for comfort "It's certainly not men."

"It's obvious isn't it?!" Dita exclaimed, an enraged expression on her normally friendly face as she glared out at Meia "These are really bad aliens!"

Jura's look of exasperation pretty much summed up the opinion of the elder pilots, but they soon had no time for such thoughts as even more of the weird, cube-shaped fighters were launched from a nearby ship.

"What the heck're those things…?" Meia muttered, glaring at the newcomers like a cornered wolf "Are they really aliens?"

*******

_Back on the Ikazuchi..._

"B.C!" Magno called out, looking over her shoulder towards Buzam, who looked up from reading the crew's status, particularly the trapped members of the Dread squadron that Paiway had imprisoned in the showers, to look the elderly captain in the eyes "Take control of the bridge!"

"I'm on it!" Buzam acknowledged, turning to race off, only to stagger as another explosion shook the ship, whipping round at one of the guard's cry of alarm to find the green haired escort buried under a collapsed wall.

"Don't move her!" Duero cautioned, ignoring the laser ring the other guard aimed in his direction as he leapt over the divider "I'm a doctor, I just want to see what I can do for her. Help me move the rubble…"

Bart blinked, watching the as the guard complied with Duero's wishes, watching the elite work with a look of wonderment on his face, before regaining his seat with a confident, salesman's smirk that belied his earlier terror.

"Well now…" he muttered, holding his chin "it certainly seems that you could do with some assistance, couldn't you?" he placed a hand to his head "While the fact remains that we are enemies, right now we're going to have to make survival our top priority." He smirked as he stood up "As such, you might wish to use my skills, you see I happen to be a helmsman."

"Warning! Warning!" Pyoro declared, the traitorous little Navi-Robot, which had been sticking to Magno's side since she hobbled in, pointing at the smirking blonde man suspiciously "This guy's trying to pull something!"

"Pyoro you be quiet." Magno warned, not even looking at the robot as she turned her evaluative stare on Bart, smirking slightly at the young man's bravado, "So then young man, what do you have to say?"

"Okay!" Bart spoke up, holding his hands wide before him "I was thinking that maybe we could call for a ceasefire for now. Maybe we can help each other out." He walked forwards and bowed politely "It might be much better for us to gather our forces and work to get clear of this crisis together."

"Interesting…" Magno chuckled, the aged pirate captain honestly bemused at the young man's posturing, though he rated a 'c' for effort, as she'd honestly seen worse "That's not such a bad idea from a man."

"I appreciate you taking my advice…" Bart offered, honestly surprised he'd pulled that off as he held out a hand "What say we shake on it?" he asked, only to yelp as Magno slapped it aside with her cane, the old woman standing up to smirk at him.

"I have no desire to get 'Chummy'." The aged pirate captain chuckled, her tone making it clear that she wasn't THAT impressed by the supposed helmsman's theatrics "You'll still be treated as one of our prisoners."

"I can't do anything here!" Duero called out, the Elite Medic interrupting their conversation as he looked up at Magno from where he knelt beside the injured woman, his features lined with concern from behind his oversized bangs "I need to get her to sick bay!"

"Alright." Magno allotted, the captain nodding her head towards the longhaired medic before looking up at Bart "You come with me to the bridge young man." She ordered, before looking over her shoulder at Buzam "B.C, you get the attacker to the warehouse."

*******

_Back in space..._

"There's just too many of them!" Jura called out, the blonde Dread pilot wincing as she swerved her craft to avoid the worst of their attackers laser fire, glaring at the ship that seemed to be spawning the fighters "We've got to attack them at the source!"

"I agree with you." Meia admitted, her features tense as she tried to formulate a battle strategy whilst fending off their attackers "But if there was only some way to get the ship mobilized…" she trailed off with a curse as a lucky shot slammed into her dread, spinning back into the fight with a glare.

*******

_A darkened hallway of the Ikazuchi..._

"Looks like it'll be a while before this place stabilizes…" Buzam noted, gazing down a crystallized corridor that had, at one point, been the closest access tunnel to the main hangar "I'm afraid there's not going to be much hope for us if we can't get control of the ship." She snorted offhandedly "It'll probably be the end of us if the men attack."

"H-Hey…" Hibiki called out uncertainly, looking over his shoulder at the escort that Buzam had brought with her in case he tried anything "I uh…I know I probably should have brought this up earlier, but Y'see I'm not really a Vanguard Pilot…" he flinched, smirking self-mockingly as he avoided the woman's frown "Truth is, I'm just a part's mechanic, I guess I just didn't have the nerve to tell you before…"

"Uhuh…" Buzam noted, the silver haired second-in-command of the pirates sighing to herself as she turned to face the downcast Tarak teen with a calculative expression on her face "So what're you doing here?"

"That's a really funny story actually…" Hibiki chuckled nervously "Y'see I kinda got dragged into this really stupid bet…" he averted his gaze with a snort "Said I'd steal one of the Vanguards…" he chuckled weakly "I mean, I don't want you to get the wrong idea…"

"I guess the data we had was incorrect…" Buzam cut in, Hibiki looking up to find the woman looking at him with her hand on her hip "Because I'd always heard that men were a proud race." She snorted "Who'd have thought they'd be so pathetic? No matter what the reason, aren't you here because of your pride?" she frowned "Or is it because you needed to prove your own existence?"

Hibiki jolted, his eyes widening as the woman's words struck him at his very core, his hands clenching tensely as Buzam continued.

"Male or Female, it doesn't matter now…" the silver haired Second in Command of the pirates declared "In situations like this what it all comes down to is that we're all human beings that breath the same air." She glared down at the teen "While the people around you are trying to overcome this crisis, are you simply going to curl up like a helpless baby and wait for the end?"

"She's got a point there kid…" a familiar voice pointed out, the trio jumping, Buzam's hand going for her whip as her escort pointed her laser ring wildly at their surroundings "Mataku…getting a lecture from a woman on how to be a man…" the voice muttered mockingly "you really do need all the help you can get…"

'Another male survivor?' Buzam wondered, the silver haired woman glaring at the surrounding hallway as she held her whip at the ready, her escort standing with her back to Hibiki, laser ring at the ready "Show yourself!"

"Commander!" the escort called out, Buzam cursing as something red dropped down from the pipes overhead, swatting the spiky haired woman aside, lashing out to deflect Buzam's whip strike as it stood between the commander and a stunned Hibiki as they got a good look at it.

The figure was as tall as Duero, if not taller, and covered from head to foot in red armor with black lining that looked like it was part of it's body. It's face looked like that of an 'oni' from the old legends on earth, complete with two pointed horns that added to it's height by half a foot. Around it's waist was a belt with a metal peach, and in its hand was a rather dangerous looking sword, which it had used to deflect Buzam's whip.

"Yo…" the red figure greeted, turning to look over its shoulder at a stunned Hibiki, who was gaping like a landed trout as it smirked down at him, taping it's sword against it's shoulder lazily "How ya been short stuff?"

"DON'T CALL ME SHORT!" Hibiki snapped, glaring irately, only to blink, looking up at the creature in dim recognition "Waitaminute…I know that voice…" his eyes widened "You're that sand demon thing from before!"

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING A DEMON?!" the horned figure demanded, rounding on the teen, who flinched as it glared at him heatedly, it's demonic face scant millimetres from his own "I told you! I'm an Imajin! I-MA-JIN!"

"Imajin?" Buzam repeated, the second in command looking between the raging, red armored figure and the cowering Tarak teen with understandable confusion, having never seen, or heard, of such a thing "Some sort of alien?"

"What is with you people?" the self-proclaimed Imajin muttered, shaking it's head in disgust as it turned it's annoyed glared towards the woman "The kid thinks I'm a demon, the women think I'm an alien…"

"Well if you're not an alien then what are you?" Buzam demanded, having a sudden suspicion of just who the so called Imajin was talking about when he mentioned the word 'alien', it was a no-brainer really "Why're you on this ship?"

"The kid." The Imajin replied simply, tilting his head towards a startled Hibiki, his sword once again resting on his shoulder, his tone one of smug boredom "I gotta stick with him till I grant his wish."

"Wish?" Hibiki repeated, the Tarak teen blinking up at the armored figure in confusion, even as Buzam's eyebrow quirked at the creature's word, filing them away for later "Wait…so you grant wishes? Like a genie?"

"I look like some blue ghost in harem pants to you kid?" the Imajin growled, looking over his shoulder in annoyance "And it's WISH, not WISHES." He corrected, holding up a finger "One wish per customer…and after all the hell you put me through, it had better not be something retarded either."

"I don't quite understand." Buzam interrupted, looking between the two with a look of intrigue behind her obvious confusion, trying to piece the puzzle together "You came on board to grant his wish? Why him?"

"Kid seemed interesting enough." The Imajin muttered, making the motion of cleaning out his ear, despite none being visible, with his pinkie, sword on his shoulder "Least I thought so…until he made me chase him all over the damn rooftops and through the hallways of this rust bucket…" he shrugged, rolling his shoulders "Still, if I hadn't followed him I'd probably still be a pile of sand…" he tapped his feet on the steel floor with a smirk "having a solid form beets being stepped on any day."

"I can imagine…" Buzam noted wryly, the silver haired woman snorting in bemusement as she turned to look at the stunned Hibiki "Well this is certainly convenient, maybe you can make this thing wish to get rid of those things for us."

"What things?" the Imajin asked, looking at the woman in confusion, only to curse as the ship shook, staggering back until it hit the wall, its head bouncing off a pipe "KUSO! That hurt!" it swore, gripping it's head in it's free hand "What the hell's going on now?!"

"We're under attack from unknown foes." Buzam supplied, leaning against the wall for support, her eyes narrowed as they drilled into the unusual pair before her "I was just about to send him out to provide support."

"There's a fight?" the Imajin demanded, his head snapping up and an eager light shining in his black eyes, the humans looking on in wonderment as he seemed to tremble with barely contained excitement "Why didn't you say so before?" he demanded, clenching his fist "Lemme at 'em!"

"You think you can pilot the vanguard?" Buzam asked, idly wondering if they could fire up another one, only to blink as the Imajin ignored her, leaping towards Hibiki, the woman's eyes widening in shock as the creature dissolved in a flash of red light, disappearing into the teen's body.

Hibiki jerked, slumping over slightly, only to right himself, Buzam's eyes widening as he easily snapped the handcuffs placed on him, the silver haired woman noticing that his hair, spikier than before, had acquired a crimson streak, his eyes glowing an equally brilliant shade of red as he smirked.

"Ore…Futabi Sanjou!" the teen called out with the Imajin's voice, going through a bizarre pose, like something you'd see in a play or drama show.

Buzam blinked, wondering if she'd suffered a blow to the head during the explosion before, only to shake herself out of such thoughts and gesture down the hall "The Vanguard should be down that way…good luck!"

"Yosh!" the Imajin possessed teen crowed, rotating his shoulders with a confident sneer, his crimson eyes flashing with excitement as he raced off down the hall "I'll show those alien bastards a real Climax! IKUZE-!"

'Well this is an interesting development…' Buzam noted, watching idly as the Inmajin raced off…in the wrong direction, only to turn back round after she pointed this out 'I wonder how the superiors back home will react to this?'

*******

_Helm of the Nirvana..._

"STAY AWAY!" Bart screamed, the terrified First Class recruit looking on in horror as the enemy main unit advanced on the ship, his frantic gestures turning the fused vessel around in a bid to escape.

Bad enough he'd been captured by women, pirates at that, but then when he'd been brought onto the bridge to steer the Ikazuchi, he found not the control terminal he was familiar with from training, but a glowing emerald pool.

A pool that, upon closer inspection, had promptly swallowed him alive, leaving him hovering in a strange, weightless room, like a glass cage, from which he could see first hand what was going on outside, like he was adrift in space, surrounded on all sides by the enemy.

The fact he was also completely butt-naked didn't do much to curb his terror either.

However, the strange system seemed to react to his mental commands and gestures automatically, so his natural instinct to flee had the desired effect of kick starting the Ikazuchi's engines, propelling the fused vessel out of the battle zone, though the enemy soon took up pursuit.

"Is there a chance we can escape?" Buzam asked, walking back onto the bridge, having just dropped off her escort at the sickbay, where Duero had been about to administer first aid to his other patient with an unnerving expression on his face until she'd ordered him to wait for Paiway to get up there.

"You're guess is as good as mine…" Magno muttered, her features grim as the reports came in that the port engines had been hit, and that the shields were weakening "We won't get too far under these conditions…"

"OI!" a crass voice called out over the speakers, the women looking up to see Hibiki's face on the screen, Magno blinking in confusion at the sight of his new appearance. The old pirate could've sworn the kid's eyes were black, and where'd he get that red streak in his hair? "You hearing me ya old biddy? Lemme out already!"

"What's he doing?" Magno muttered, the pirate captain scowling at the crack at her age, even as the bridge crew blinked at the Tarak teen's audacity "And for that matter, what happened to his handcuffs?"

"I'll handle this captain." Buzam assured the woman, the second in command smirking to herself as she looked up at the Imajin possessed teen "So, you find the Vanguard hangar? Or did you get lost again?"

"URUSEI!" the teen snarled, Magno's eyebrow quirking, as she DEFINITELY didn't recall the kid's voice being that deep, or cocky "This place's like a maze! But yeah I found it…" he frowned, looking around the interior "S'changed a bit though…"

"Some of our Dreads were affected by the Paeksis too." Buzam assured the two-in-one teen, recalling Meia's earlier communication regarding their modified attack craft "But enough of that, can it launch?"

"Just open those damn doors and I'll do the rest!" the crimson eyed teen declared, smirking as he pumped a fist towards the screen in an obvious Gung-ho gesture"I've been waiting to cut loose since I got here!"

"Does the kid agree with you?" Buzam asked pointedly, earning a quirked eyebrow from the captain, as well as the confused members of the bridge crew "Or is he planning to just cower like a whipped dog?"

"I ain't no dog!" Hibiki snapped, his eyes and hair reverting to normal, much to the confusion of the bridge crew and Magno "I might not be cool or brave…but dammit, I'm not gonna just sit back and cower while people die around me!"

"Well said…" Buzam smirked, before nodding her head towards a member of the bridge crew, who quickly got to work powering up the hangar doors and Vanguard launch bay "Watch yourself out there…"

"Heh…don't you worry about US." Hibiki assured the woman, the Tarak Teen's eyes crimson once more, signifying that the Imajin was in control once again "Cause from start to finish, I'm at my climax!"

"What in the hell just happened there?" Magno demanded, the aged captain looking on in bewilderment as the Tarak teen signed off, leaving the bridge crew looking at themselves in obvious confusion.

"Long story…" Buzam supplied, smirking to herself as she shook her head "I'll fill you in if we survive this."

*******

_Inside the Vanguard..._

"Yosh!" the Inmajin uttered, smirking to himself as he sat Hibiki's body inside the modified Vanguard, which looked more humanoid for some reason. It's various shades of yellow and gold, with two green eyes, and covered with strange, grey tracks along it's frame (Imagine Hibiki's Vanguard, only with Plat Form's tracks.) "Let's get this party started!"

"_You sure we can do this?"_ Hibiki wondered from inside his own head, the Tarak teen looking at the interior of the modified mech from a third-person view once more_ "I mean we couldn't even turn it on last time."_

"Not a problem!" the Imajin declared, smirking confidently as he gripped the control sticks in their hands "I'll make this thing move with my will! IKUZE-!"

They sat in silence for a second, Hibiki's features twisted in a manic leer as they continued to sit in the control chair of the mech. "…_Nothings happening…"_ Hibiki deadpanned, somehow feeling a bead of sweat slide down his forehead as the Inmajin began pumping the control sticks furiously _"Well what now genius?"_

"Urusei!" the Imajin snapped, looking annoyed as he tried repeatedly to get the machine to move "Konno…! Move you stupid piece of junk-!" He trailed off, looking around in alarm as a tune began to play, his eyes snapping down to his chest, where Hibiki's Id tag had hung.

"What the heck?" the Imajin muttered, reaching up and pulling the tag off, the two of them blinking as they noticed how thick it was now, eyes widening further as a belt suddenly formed around Hibiki's waist.

"_What is that thing?"_ Hibiki wondered, the Tarak teen gaping down at the belt in alarm, wondering if it was some sort of safety mechanism, even as the Imajin tried to wrestle it off, with apparently no success.

"Kuso-!" the Inmajin swore, thumping the buckle with the id card "Get the hell off me you piece of-!" he cursed as he dropped the card, only to blink as the back of it landed in front of the belt, his body stiffening as a suit formed over them "What the hell?!" he exclaimed, slapping Hibiki's hands to his now helmeted face "What the hell is this?!"

"_That suit-!"_ Hibiki gaped, the startled, Third class mechanic gaping down at the reflection of the suit that now adorned his body in the mirror, his mind stunned in recognition _"It's just like from my dream!"_

"Dream?" the Imajin repeated, sounding confused, only to blink as the Vanguard, as if reacting to the suits presence, fired up "YOSH!" he cried out, directing the mech to clamber into the launching platform nearby "Let's get this party started!"

Hibiki loosed a yell of his own as they were hurled from the ship into space, lookin on in amazement as the trio of dreads engaged the enemy, strange, cube shaped fighters that flew around them like hornets.

"YOSHA!" the Imajin crowed, cracking his knuckles, the Vanguard mimicking his actions, before lunging into the fray "C'mon you bastards! I've been waiting for this!"

*******

_With the Dreads..._

"What's THAT thing?" Jura demanded, looking on in bewilderment as the Vanguard launched itself at their enemies, the pilot screaming 'Ikuze! Ikuze! Ikuze!' repeatedly over the radio as he tackled their foes hand to hand.

"It must be the good alien!" Dita cheered, the redhead looking on in wonderment as the modified Vanguard sailed past, holding one of the cube fighters in a headlock as it punched the enemy repeatedly in the face "Yay! Give him a rectal probe!"

"I'M NOT A GODDAM ALIEN!" the pilot roared, his irate features glaring at the dread pilots, who blinked at his change in appearance, not to mention his deeper voice "And just what the hell do you mean by 'Rectal Probe'? You some kinda pervert?!"

"Watch out!" Jura called out, wincing as the cube fighters shot the Vanguard in the back, the red eyed teen's string of curses actually making her, and several other women who were listening in over the radio, flush scarlet in embarassment 'Oh my…what a mouth he has on him…'

"KUSO!" the Imajin cursed, gritting Hibiki's teeth inside their helmet as he glared at the enemy, which continued to flit around them like hornets "Attacking me from behind eh?! C'mere you walking rubix cube!"

"There's too many of them for hand to hand!" Buzam pointed out over the radio, the dark skinned commander the only member of the bridge besides Bart and Magno not blushing from the Inmajin's words "Switch to weapons!"

"_Uh…does this thing even HAVE weapons?!"_ Hibiki asked nervously, as last he'd checked, none of the vanguards had been equipped when the Ikazuchi had launched. Hell he was surprised there was still power in the mech!

"One way to find out!" the Imajin deduced, smirking to himself as he pulled the triggers on the controls, only to curse colorfully as the Vanguard's fist did little more than punch out into empty space pitiably "DAMMIT! Not even a rocket punch? What kind of mech doesn't even have a rocket punch?!"

Before Hibiki could answer that question, which for some reason he actually felt made a lot of sense, a tone started playing from their belt, the pair looking down to see that a red light on the buckle was flashing, a catchy tune emitting from the symbol there.

"_You think it's…trying to tell us something?"_ Hibiki asked, his eyes going to his modified Id tag, which was now hovering aimlessly around the cockpit_ "I mean…the Vanguard only moved when we put the suit on…"_

"Works for me!" the Imajin muttered, shrugging offhandedly as he reached out, grabbing the card out of the air with his gloved hand and bringing it down, flashing the back of it in front of their buckle.

"**Sword Form!"** the buckle declared, the duo's eyes widening once again as the interior of the vanguard shifted. Several flashes of light surrounded them, converging on the suit, the glow fading to reveal red body armor that attached to the chest and shoulders. A red peach slid down to cover their face, splitting in half at the front to cover the eyes, giving the helmet the appearance of an insect.

On the outside, a similar transformation was happening to the vanguard, the stunned pirates looking on in wonderment as the armor of the mech shifted, becoming a larger, mechanized version of it's pilot.

"Now that's more like it!" the Imajin cheered, grinning inside their helmet as he drew a red sword from the side of the transformed Vanguard "Let's do this!"

*******

_On the sidelines..._

"What in Grand Ma's name?!" Meia gaped, the Squadron leader looking on in shock as the man's machine finished it's transformation, lunging back into the fray, hacking and slashing at any fighter foolish enough to get in it's path.

"So…elegant!" Jura gasped, the blonde Dread pilot marveling as the crimson mech's sword cut a swathe through the enemy ranks, like something out of the old fairy tales the First Generation cherished so much.

"YAY!" Dita cheered, the redheaded alien otaku following hot on the Vanguard's trail, her eyes wide with amazement as she watched her 'alien friend' tear into their foes "I knew Mr. Alien would come to help us!"

"I'M NOT A DAMN ALIEN YOU CRAZY BROAD!" the pilot of the mech snapped back irately, even as he continued to slash away at the enemy "This the best you got you cube bastards?! I'm barely breaking a sweat here!" he swatted another group aside, before charging on the main unit "IKUZE!"

"DITA!" Meia called out, the squadron leader looking on in concern as the ditzy redhead gave chase after the weird Tarak machine, even as it was swarmed on all sides by cube fighters, which did little to waylay it's momentum "Get away from there!"

"HISSATSU!" the Vanguard pilot called out, the mech holding it's sword in both hands as it advanced on the enemy's main unit "ORE NO HISSATSU WAZA-!"

Orange spears lashed out of the ship, impaling the vanguard, and several cube fighters that had gotten too close, halting them in their tracks. "Mr. Alien!" Dita called out, swooping her dread in close, her eyes wide with concern, only to cry out as she was blinded in the resulting explosion.

"DITA!"

*******

_Bridge of the Ikazuchi..._

"I guess our miracle didn't happen…" Magno sighed, the aged captain looking down in depression as the explosion filled the view screen. Bad enough to lose the kid, he was so young, but they'd lost poor Dita too…

"We've got to tell the crew to evacuate…" Buzam noted with a sigh, only to blink, looking up along with the crew as Pyoro beeped in surprise, their eyes widening at the sight of the figure clawing it's way out of the molten rubble.

"What the heck is that?!" Magno exclaimed, looking on in abject shock at the sight of the giant blue mech that dimly resembled Dita's dread and the kid's vanguard combined "Another weapon of the men?!"

"**Hisatsu**…" a deep voice growled over the speakers, the bridge crew looking up in alarm, their eyes wide as the mech tore its way into the enemy vessel **"Eat this! Ore no Hisatsu Waza!"**

The spikes on the mech's back flipped onto it's shoulders, lighting up as they launched twin pillars of energy into the core of the enemy ship, gutting it from the inside out, the entire thing exploding, the shockwave taking out the rest of the attacking cube fighters, leaving the mech floating undamaged in space.

*******

_Inside the fused mech..._

"I made it…" Hibiki muttered, the teen slowly coming round as he smiled to himself, dimly recalling the sight of the ship blowing up before he'd been rendered unconscious by the shockwave "I…we finally made it…"

He paused, noting the lack of response from the Imajin, only to sigh as he felt the red warrior's presence at the back of his head, cursing exhaustedly, having apparently been knocked out of control of his body by the explosion.

Something groaned beneath him, the Tarak teen's eyes widening as he realized that not only was he back in the original suit, sans red armor, but that his hands were resting on someone else's, and that said someone was sitting on his lap, more accurately, on a certain part of his anatomy that was feeling rather uncomfortable at the moment.

"W-what the heck is going on here?!" he demanded, looking around the cockpit in alarm, even as Dita, who was fast asleep, leant back into his chest, her hands trapped beneath his own as he tried to slip free "Hey! Sand-majin-thing! What's going on?!"

"I just knew Mr. Alien would protect us somehow…" the redhead mumbled in her sleep, smiling softly to herself as she continued to nuzzle the startled teen's chest like a pillow as Hibiki looked on, completely at a loss.

"Is this…the proof of my existence?" the Tarak teen asked the universe at large, only to receive the dazed mutterings of the voice in his head, and a strange pressure from his groin as the redhead shifted in her sleep.

* * *

Double Action Sword Form Plays in the background...

Momo: So? What did you think of that Climax?!

Meia: Freeze!

Momo: hey what the?! GAH! THat's cold!

Dita: Mr. Alien! Your red friend's pretty funny!

Momo: Bitches! I'll remember this! This isn't how a star should be treated!

Next time, Kamen Rider VanDen-O, The paths we walk.

Momo: I'll show you a real Climax!

Kyugan: If i get around to writing the chapter...

Momo: Eh?!


End file.
